This invention relates to a process for the adsorptive purification of contaminated crude gas streams in a facility containing several cyclically reversible adsorbers wherein each adsorber passes through switching cycles comprising at least one adsorption phase and one desorption phase.
Gas purification processes of this type are widely known, the crude gas stream being purified conventionally in facilities comprising at least two adsorbers. To provide continuous operation, at least one adsorber in all cases is operated in an adsorption phase while in parallel thereto at least one other adsorber is freed of the contaminants adsorbed in a preceding phase. Regeneration of loaded adsorbers can be effected in various ways, for example by pressure swing, passing scavenging gases through the adsorber, heating, or a combination of these measures.
A process of this type is known from DAS No. 2,064,137 wherein regeneration of two alternatingly operated adsorbers is accomplished by passing a hot scavenging gas therethrough. The process is particularly intended for the drying of gaseous streams containing water molecules. An English Lauguage counterpart to DAS No. 2,064,137 is U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,773.
If several crude gas streams are to be purified simultaneously, separate adsorption facilities are usually required for this purpose, specifically whenever the crude gas streams must not be combined and worked up together. Then, the initial investment cost for the erection of separate adsorption installations for separate crude gases is unusually high as compared to a single facility having the same throughput capacity.